A FATHER said he was in “a blind panic” when he was forced to deliver his own baby son.

Ben Saunders, 27, was forced to play midwife when girlfriend Hannah Ludlaim, also 27, went into labour at their home in Montague Street, Basildon.

The couple assumed they would plenty of time as it took 24 hours for their first son, 22-month-old Jack to arrive.

It turned out, however, that baby brother Ruben was in rather more of a hurry.

Just three hours after her first contraction Miss Ludlaim gave birth to the healthy 7lb 3oz boy.

Gas engineer Mr Saunders said: “We didn’t want to look like idiots by going into hospital too soon.

“I realised it was too late, though, when Hannah started having contractions two minutes apart.

“I was pretty scared but I didn’t really have time to think. It was more of a blind panic.

“Looking back, delivering my own son was amazing and surreal – but I would I have liked to be more prepared. It’s certainly a story to tell him when he’s older.”

Fortunately for Mr Saunders, ambulance service call handler Jordan Clarke-Rivers was on the other end of the line and able to give him step-by-step instructions.

Miss Clarke-Rivers, 19, from Horndon-on-the-Hill, has only been doing the job for six weeks, but Ruben’s birth at 8.59am on Saturday morning was the second she had aided over the phone.

Four days before Miss Clarke- Rivers, who is based at the East of England Ambulance Service’s operations centre in Chelmsford, had helped a dad from Harlow to deliver his son.

Mr Saunders said: “Jordan was really good and certainly helped calm me down.

“She guided us through all we needed to know, and Ruben came out perfectly. He’s just beautiful."

Miss Clarke-Rivers said: “We have had lots of guidance on what to do in these situations, so I felt prepared.

“I didn’t think I’d be delivering a baby so soon. Being my age, it’s a big thing to achieve.

“My job is quite different to my friends’ jobs. I’m really proud of myself.”